a tribute to survival Friendship is a funny thing, because many think that for it to survive, it must be constantly nurtured and cultivated. This is true in most cases, as friendship indeed is a two-way street with balance and consistency usually required. However, I am blessed with a few friendships that are amazingly categorized as a different kind of friendship.

One in particular is Maggie, who has been living in Switzerland for almost a year and who moved away from where I live to another town the year before that. Within the last two years (ish), I think I have physically seen her twice, maybe three times... and we're friends. She broke the barriers of friendship in that we couldn't even call each other for the last 8/9 months, hardly any contact at all, yet when we hung out two days ago, and it was as if she were never gone.

Instead of starting over, we picked up where we left off, and it was incredible. No judgment. No holding back. Her being her. Me being me. Well, not that it was hard for me to like Maggie, because she's one of the coolest people I know. There's this song by a group Iver called "Sun Down" talking about "that kind of girl who ________," and some of the lines just cry out Maggie.

"She's the kind of girl that makes me smile at nothing.
She's the kind of girl that makes me laugh with all her silly faces.
That kind of girl that memories are made of.
She's that kind of girl.

That kind of girl that makes the sun wish that it could shine.
That kind of girl that makes a man much better then he was before.
She's that kind of girl.

She's the kind of girl who dreams without a reason.
She's the kind of girl that with one glance she knows just what i'm thinking.
That kinda girl that reads without occasion.
She's that kind of girl.

That kind of girl that's not afraid of danger.
She's friendly to a stranger on the street.
That kind of girl that skips class just for coffee.
She sees me like the world could never see.

That kind of girl that doesn't need to do her hair.
She'll act on any dare, she knows that life's not fair.
That kind of girl that lets music do her talking.
She dances while she's walking next to me."

I took out the choruses in those lyrics 'cause they didn't apply so much to what I am talking about, but you get my point. She's simply herself and could care less about what others thought. Every time I'm with her, it's an adventure, filled with spontaneity, exploration, and discovery. This last time was no exception. Amidst creativity and talking, we had a time of searching and discovering as well. While we were around town, we "went off the trails" a little bit, something which a usual goody like myself would cringe over, but I've been changing the last couple months, and this time I told myself to let go. The freedom that she's so used to was available for experiencing, and I took it, and away we went to strawberry fields forever.

So thanks, Maggie, for being someone who brings out the best and new me, regardless of the confinements of time and distance.









  ¶ 7:09:00 AM